Sarah Ferguson (aka Fergie) recently revealed four etiquette tricks that she swears by for royal engagements and parties - and Fergie really is one of the most hilarious people ever.
Although we can't quite relate to needing etiquette advice for royal engagements, it stands to show that a little brush-up on manners every so often isn't a horrible idea - and that's exactly what Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) did on her podcast last week.
Her podcast Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, on which Fergie and her co-host Sarah Thomson discuss a wide range of topics, recently divulged into party etiquette, and Fergie had a few tips on how to expertly navigate parties based on her experiences from royal events of yore with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, as well as her daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
Here are four of Fergie's best tips on how to not only survive, but thrive, at parties.
1. Express politely you've been waiting to meet with someone
Fergie says that the best thing to do when caught in a conversation you no longer wish to be in, for whatever reason, is to blame it on someone else. "You get to a point when you say, ‘One second, could you hold that thought because I’ve just got to go and see Fred over there because I’ve got to give him a message,'" she said. "And by the time that the person you’re talking to has gone onto the next subject, they’ve forgotten that you were coming back to tell something about Fred."
2. Swerve the uncomfortable questions to someone else
We've all unfortunately been there - that awkward moment when someone asks you a question that you just don't have the energy to answer, whether it be about politics, your family, your relationship, or whatever is ailing you.
The best thing to do, Fergie says, is to give the question to someone else to answer. "If someone asks you a tricky question that you don’t want to answer, say ‘Oh that’s so interesting, I’ll tell you what, I’m going to throw that question to Matilda. Matilda, what do you think about that question?’ And you’ve thrown the ball again," she cheekily said.
3. Attend multiple parties with a quick force for ultimate impact
AKA - arrive at each party "very loudly," Fergie said.
"What you do is you walk through the door, go in very loudly and walk all the way around the room. And you’ll be so loud that most people are going, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s so loud,'" she explained. "Then you leave after five minutes, and so the host and everyone will say, 'Oh, I didn’t see Sarah tonight.’ And everyone in the room says, 'Oh, well we did.'"
4. Smile!
When you're not feeling your best or on your A-game, smiling will help get you through, Fergie claimed.
"I always say to my girls, when you’re out on the public stage, smile. If you don’t want to be polite, don’t go out on the public stage — because no one wants to see a grumpy princess," she said.
